• Halloween Safety Tips

• Wellness Lab & Flu Shot Program Calendar

• Spotlight in Wellness

• Benefits Corner

• Employee Assistance Program

• Wellness Lab & Flu Shot Program

• Wellness Sessions for Time Equivalency

• Quick Pick-Me-Ups

• Safety Tip!

• Water Aerobics

Each new school year brings with it new goals. The MISD Board of Trustees has included increasing Wellness strategies and participation in their goals for 2005-06.

All staff are highly encouraged to join in the lab screenings which are designed to help employees monitor their physical well-being. If problems are detected early, the chance for successful treatment greatly increases.

Rio Grande Regional Laboratory will visit each campus this fall to draw blood samples and administer flu shots. All employees and their family members may participate. (There is a fee for family members.) See your school nurse to sign up for the wellness screening or to schedule a mammogram.  Check the schedule and see when the health care professionals will be at your work location.

Wellness Sessions for Time Equivalency

quick pick-me-ups

10 easy energy breaks
to rev up your day

Copyright© 2004 Rodale Inc. All rights reserved.
http://www.prevention.com

Recalls and Product Safety News

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products. Log on to their website for information on over 4,000 product recalls and recall alerts.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prerelsep05.html

Halloween Safety: Safety Alert

For few safety tips from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that can protect children who plan to go trick-or-treating this Halloween, visit http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/
100.html .

Water Aerobics

Wellness...a way of life!

Halloween is an exciting time of year for kids, and to help ensure they have a safe holiday, here are some tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Please feel free to excerpt these tips or use them in their entirety for any print or broadcast story, with acknowledgment of source.

ALL DRESSED UP:

• Plan costumes that are bright and reflective. Make sure that shoes fit well and that costumes are short enough to prevent tripping, entanglement or contact with flame.

• Consider adding reflective tape or striping to costumes and Trick-or-Treat bags for greater visibility.

• Because masks can limit or block eyesight, consider non-toxic makeup and decorative hats as safer alternatives. Hats should fit properly to prevent them from sliding over eyes.

• When shopping for costumes, wigs and accessories look for and purchase those with a label clearly indicating they are flame resistant.

• If a sword, cane, or stick is a part of your child's costume, make sure it is not sharp or too long. A child may be easily hurt by these accessories if he stumbles or trips.

• Obtain flashlights with fresh batteries for all children and their escorts.

• Teach children how to call 9-1-1 (or their local emergency number) if they have an emergency or become lost.

CARVING A NICHE:

• Small children should never carve pumpkins. Children can draw a face with markers. Then parents can do the cutting.

• Votive candles are safest for candle-lit pumpkins.

• Lighted pumpkins should be placed on a sturdy table, away from curtains and other flammable objects, and should never be left unattended.

ON THE TRICK-OR-TREAT TRAIL:

• A parent or responsible adult should always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds.
• If your older children are going alone, plan and review the route that is acceptable to you. Agree on a specific time when they should return home.
• Remind Trick-or Treaters:
  · Stay in a group and communicate where they will be going.
  · Carry a mobile phone for quick communication.
  · Only go to homes with a porch light on.
  · Remain on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk.
  · If no sidewalk is available, walk at the far edge of the roadway facing traffic.
  · Never cut across yards or use alleys.
  · Never enter a stranger's home or car for a treat.
  · Only cross the street as a group in established crosswalks (as recognized by local custom).
  · Don't assume the right of way. Motorists may have trouble seeing Trick-or-Treaters. Just because one car stops, doesn't mean others will!
  · Law enforcement authorities should be notified immediately of any suspicious or unlawful activity.

©  COPYRIGHT AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/octhalloween.htm

Please note: Staff may attend any other campus/site screening.  Please schedule with designated campus in advance.

Each month I want to highlight a staff member who deserves recognition in the realm of Wellness. This month, let me introduce you to our Web Master, Don Keller.

Don is such a talented man. Each month you see his handiwork in this Newsletter, but he receives no recognition for the excellent job he does, so I want to thank him publicly.

Don is one of my favorite people for many reasons, not the least of which is his personal work at smoking cessation. About ten years ago, Don attended a smoking cessation group through our Wellness Program. After smoking for 23 years and experiencing problems with his blood pressure, Don successfully QUIT and he has remained tobacco-free all these years. This October will be his eleventh anniversary of being tobacco free.  He says he feels physically better and his blood pressure is normal. I jokingly call him our “Poster Boy”, but I seriously have great respect for Don.

Thank you, Don, for all you do to promote Wellness personally and professionally. You deserve to be in the spotlight !

Sharon B. Wilkes, RN, MA, CPS, CCS, Coordinator, Prevention Services

Health / Dental Plan, Claim Administration & Rates

The District's self funded Health and Dental Plan claims administrator and related services providers are currently being reevaluated.  Benefit plan information and rates will be provided to all staff as soon as it’s finalized.  Rates for the 2005-2006 plan year will be reflected starting with the October paycheck.

All calls are confidential and the anonymity of the caller will remain confidential!

ANONYMOUS REPORTING FRAUD HOTLINE

CALL:  1-800-398-1496 (English)  1-800-216-1288 (Spanish)

Mr. Andres Silva is the Director of Employee Benefits/Risk Management